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Pardon?

All rapid responses

Rapid responses are electronic comments to the editor. They enable our users to debate issues raised in articles published on bmj.com. A rapid response is first posted online. If you need the URL (web address) of an individual response, simply click on the response headline and copy the URL from the browser window. A proportion of responses will, after editing, be published online and in the print journal as letters, which are indexed in PubMed. Rapid responses are not indexed in PubMed and they are not journal articles. The BMJ reserves the right to remove responses which are being wilfully misrepresented as published articles.

The lethal effects of tobacco are so prominent that they eclipse the non-lethal
effects. We all know that tobacco causes cancer, heart disease, and chronic
lung disease, but we tend to overlook the fact that tobacco causes or
aggravates other conditions. For example, smoking increases the risk of
hearing impairment (1) and ear infections (2), both of which can lead to
deafness. The tobacco industry should fund research into tobacco-related
deafness and other non-lethal effects of tobacco.

Self-acceptance is the ultimate act of courage and compassion. After all, none
of us really likes himself, and we all pretend to be someone we’re not. The
road to self-acceptance is bumpy, and there is much denial and pretense along
the way. How can we expedite or ensure self-acceptance? We should regard
self-acceptance as a lifelong goal that needs constant self-examination plus
nurturing from family, friends, and professionals. The world would be a better
place, if we could all learn to accept ourselves and others.